From the early 1970's - Anyone remember this?

When WDW first opened in the early 1970's, there were two strange things (by today's standards) that went on that we all talked about back then:

1. When you entered the front gate at the MK (the only park on the property), the CM at the gate would run their fingers down the backs of the female customers. The reason? To see if they were wearing bras! (This was during the height of the Women's Lib Movement, when many women refused to wear bras as a sign of their "liberation".) If the CM ran his finger down a female's back and felt a bra strap, all was OK. If there was no bra strap, then no admittance for that female. (This policy didn't last long.) Anyone remember this?

2. In the early 1970's, the Mickey Mouse character (who appeared frequently around the MK park) was notorious and well-known for posing with young women - with his hand on their breasts! Seriously. (I'm not making this up.) When asked to pose with a young woman, he would put his arm around them and then cup their breast. We all knew about it - and had lots of photos to prove it. We used to encourage our unknowing girlfriends to pose with Mickey - and then laugh at the results. (Note: in the early 1970's, there was no concept of sexual harrassment.) As I said, Mickey's "subversive" behavior was known and appreciated by many regular Florida visitors back in the "crazy hippie days" of the early 1970's. Does anyone remember this?????

Re: From the early 1970's - Anyone remember this?

Originally Posted by Maui Mike

2. In the early 1970's, the Mickey Mouse character (who appeared frequently around the MK park) was notorious and well-known for posing with young women - with his hand on their breasts! Seriously. (I'm not making this up.) When asked to pose with a young woman, he would put his arm around them and then cup their breast. We all knew about it - and had lots of photos to prove it. We used to encourage our unknowing girlfriends to pose with Mickey - and then laugh at the results. (Note: in the early 1970's, there was no concept of sexual harrassment.) As I said, Mickey's "subversive" behavior was known and appreciated by many regular Florida visitors back in the "crazy hippie days" of the early 1970's. Does anyone remember this?????

If there are so many photos of this, how come none have been posted here? I'll believe it when I see it.

Re: From the early 1970's - Anyone remember this?

I was there pre-opening and right through opening and a regular visitor for years after that. I don't recall the strap-check. And I certainly don't recall Mickey and the breast business. Never even heard of it and believe me...knowing that kind of stuff would have been right down our group's alley!

We knew several of the "Mickeys" and I seriously doubt any of them would have done anything like that (onstage at least). Heck...the company was much more conservative and strict than it is today, back then. If even one picture of Mickey doing that would have surfaced...there would have been hell to pay. I'm not saying that there couldn't have been some renegade Cast Member doing such a thing. Just that we certainly never heard about any such Mickey.

As far as the strap-check goes, I'm positive they didn't do anything like that as a matter of routine to all women entering the Park. That wouldn't be something that you'd likely forget!

Re: From the early 1970's - Anyone remember this?

Originally Posted by fizzog

If the hair thing is true I wouldn't put it past them...but I too need evidence

The hair thing is partially true.

See my first hand report on the Yippie incident that created the policy, and I also posted a link to the newspaper article I scanned from the copy I socked away in the Opus Archives all those years ago, outlining the rather vague and highly discretionary dress code that came about as a result:

As you will read, the policy started on Friday August 7, 1970 and ran for only a couple of years after that. It just sort of fizzled away. But it was never an outright ban on long-haired men (the popular public misconception)! Security pretty much "profiled" you and if you didn't seem a risk...they let you in long hair and all.

By the time WDW opened in October of 1971...most all of the long-hair concerns were pretty much already fading. I would say there was sometimes more enforcement at WDW than at Disneyland in those early days. But I think that had more to do with the particular "Southern" mindset and culture of some of the Security personnel that were from the South. I don't like calling some of those guys Rednecks...but some of them were. And some of them had pretty strong personal feelings about, "Them hippies." But that was more their thing than Disney's.

Also see more info in this thread about the long-hair policy/legend at Disneyland in California: